Evloev’s gritty win crushes Murphy’s title hopesImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lerone Murphy suffered the first defeat of his careerByPaul BattisonBBC Sport Journalist at the O2 ArenaPublished28 minutes agoMovsar Evloev put a huge dent in Lerone Murphy’s featherweight title dream as the Russian secured a majority decision victory at UFC London.In a fight seen by many as a number one contender contest at the O2 Arena, Evloev ground his British opponent down as the fight wore on to win, with two judges scoring it 48-46 in the Russian’s favour and one deeming it a draw at 47-47.Manchester’s Murphy had many good moments in a competitive contest but an injury to the 34-year-old’s hip in the third round left Evloev finishing the fight stronger.
The defeat ends Murphy’s 18-fight unbeaten streak, while Evloev, 32, extends his undefeated record to 20 fights and puts himself in prime position to face champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Murphy is ranked third in UFC’s featherweight rankings and is likely to need a landmark win over a high-ranked opponent to put himself back in the title picture.
“Sorry for not giving you a fight. Make sure Evloev gets a title shot. He deserves it,” reported Murphy, who remained positive despite defeat.
“Yes, my hip popped in the third round, but no excuses. I’ll be back. I’ve got work to do, but i’ll be back.”
Despite some impressive wins from British fighters like Nathaniel Wood and Mason Jones, the atmosphere lacked the buzz of previous UFC shows in London.
On a card lacking stars from previous years like Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett, Murphy was given a golden opportunity to bask in the spotlight but Evloev had other ideas.
